Amp question with size constraints

@tunefuldude my wife is fairly cool about the expense -- i think she mainly would prefer me not to radically rearrange our living room, hence some of my space constraints.

For myself, I had envisioned spending between 5-7k on upgrading my amp situation, which would be relatively in line with existing components. 

The other thing is that being in the People's Republic of Canada, the outlay on the AGDs (pre and power together) will probably end up being closer to 13k, but it still looks like the class-D is the way to go. Perhaps the Goldnotes...

I had assumed that Class Ds would be a step down though that increasingly seems to be a prejudice.

It is, but started from class D amps being poorly executed 10-20 years ago. Things have improved- class D amps are now able to sound as good as the best class A amps whether tube or solid state.

@polanskyd I like the way you expressed your open mind about your predicament.

Are you married to a woman (or dude? Lol) that's going to complain about the amount of money you need to spend to make your approach work for you?

I know there are probably plenty of purists around here that'll scoff at your idea of not achieving what you're looking for using separates, but I bet if you got a nice enough one it would float your boat.

I have to admit the ADG Audion is a very good sounding amp for the money. A friend brought over a pair for the afternoon and we replaced them with my Audio Research Reference 160 monoblocks. While they did not best the REF160m they were very good. For their price they are very good.

Several years ago I finally bagged my 10-year audio affair with powered desktop speakers. There were precious few of these (at that time, anyway) designed with audio purity and excellence in mind. I got a gently used pair of ATC monitors and found myself in need of a stereo amp--one that would fit in a constrained space.

I did gobs of research and found a used/mint condition Class D amp, the Wyred 4 Sound ST-500. It’s 13" deep & 17" wide, but I could fit it by standing it on one side (w/approval of Wyred 4 Sound). I loved the sound of this thing from day-1.

I now understand how incredibly lucky I was to "thread the needle" with this amp, which avoided the class D sonic pitfalls that were more common when it was manufactured (probably ~2011), while also avoiding the insanely expensive "audiphile" class D designs them coming out.

You can find a used one of these on USAudioMart. Highly recommended.

I will someday upgrade to another class D design, but am still waiting for one that touches all the bases for me.

I have a differing opinion on the cables for the Benchmark stack. After using the BM stack for a long-time I found that the Benchmark XLRs sounded the best with the BM stack. Not so with other gear.

I am setting up my Livingroom speakers today with the LA4 + DAC3B + CODA#16. I have cables from Audience that cost a lot more, but I prefer the BM cables.

Well, yeah but you’re getting a preamp and phono stage made to match with the amp in the small footprint you require and is only $500 more than your price target. Here’s a review in case you haven’t already seen it…

https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/agd-productions-alto-tempo/

Yes though pairing it with AGD's phono preamp would put it at double that. Unless there's a cheaper phono that would work well in this case...

The AGDs sound very appealing but I'll confess I was hoping to keep it under 10k

The AGD Tempo di GaN I mentioned above is $5,500.

The Parasound Hint has everyone one box and sounds great too.

@ivanj and @wester17 Many thanks -- that's very helpful

@polanskyd

If you have to have an integrated consider the Accuphase range. They have plug in boards for a DAC and a MC/MM phono stage. This would be a considerable upgrade from what you have, and the Canadian prices are on par with reality. I’d reckon there would be a dealer in Toronto.

The AGDs sound very appealing but I'll confess I was hoping to keep it under 10k, as I would need the phono preamp as well.

The Benchmark sounds great and would fit specwise. They don't seem to make a preamp with a phono stage though. Is there a particular one that would be recommended to pair with the Benchmark?

I am located in Toronto.

@wester17

+1 on Benchmark. Get that combo with the BMS cables or the Blue Jeans equivalent and you will never look back. Perhaps you can sell on your present cables and offset the price.

@polanskyd My wife was born in Toronto.

For a diminutive phono stage I'd consider the SOTA Pxyi, the Cambridge Audio Alva Duo - on sale - or the Andrew Fidler MC Pro sold by Classic Audio Limited . I am evaluating the Pro right now and it is great. The Pxyi should be a treat with your Linn.

One of the best amplifiers out there is also one of the most compact -- the Benchmark AHB2. It has the best distortion measurements in the industry, and I can tell you from experience that it is very musical, detailed, and engaging -- and it sounds wonderful with vinyl. If you pair it with the Benchmark LA4 preamp, you will have a top level system that takes up very little space. 

Let me also recommend AGD amps. I too have Fyne speakers (F-1-8) and a pair of Tempo amps. I bi-amp the Fynes. 

A single Tempo has plenty of power to drive the Fynes, but the advantage of two amps is the advantage of mono-blocks... better imaging. So I would recommend a pair of AGD Audion mono-blocks for not much more than a single Tempo. 

I also use and recommend a good tube preamp, but I haven't heard the AGD preamps.

Try these class D amps. They are EXCELLENT and may fit side by side since their power supplies are external and can be placed a bit further away.

https://orchardaudio.com/starkrimson_monoblock_amplifier/

Add a Schiit Audio Freya preamp and you will be set.

Many thanks for all the replies. A couple points: 

1. I am not a bot

2. I am replacing an integrated amp so I am happy to go either with superior integrated amp, or a pre/power setup, provided they match the space constraints.

3. The GAN option sounds very promising.

4. I had assumed that Class Ds would be a step down though that increasingly seems to be a prejudice.

5. Speaking of Class Ds, one of my local dealers is pushing the Cambridge Evo 150, which has streaming capabilities (which would be a plus for my wife). Does anyone have any insight as to whether that would be a good product along with a phono preamp?

I had a depth issue with the massive Denon AVRX8500. I wasn't going to let that stop me. So I put a suitable size extension underneath it to extend the depth. It's stable, and it just sticks out a bit. Actually about 2". It took no time for it to look ok.

Second Class D either Purifi or GAN. I have a Nord Purifi and it completely knocked my socks off after many years of tube and SS gigantuan amps.

Thanks for the support @shkong78. If anybody has questions, feel free to reach out.

Mono Blocks would fit more readily, then do you have an existing preamp, existing phono stage, remote control?

Audio Alchemy made some small (and shallow) kit that sounds quite good and can be found very inexpensively on the used market. His designs can also be found under the Elac name. I have owned the stereo amp and still have his DDP-1 (dac/pre) + PS 5 outboard PS; he also made a very small phono pre

You won't be disappointed with either the price or performnce

An AGD Tempo power Amp and Alto preamp will solve your problem and sound MUCH better than your rega (and should since they are 10x the price).  They will easily fit on your shelf and will only require a .5M set of XLRs to connect.  The phono stage in the Alto is excellent.  The power amp (tempo) is a good match for Fyne and tonally sounds like a much more refined Rega.  If you want a DAC included, then the Andante becomes the first choice as it has all the functionality of the Tempo plus a superb R2R DAC and Player/Renderer on-board.  

Either is a rig worthy of your turntable and speakers.  

Full disclosure, I am an AGD dealer but you will note it has been mentioned above by several people and for good reason.  Also note that not all GaN (Gallium Nitrate) amps sound the same.  If your preference is Rega and you like a warmer, more romantic sound, AGD is THE choice.  

Gold Note PA10 class A GaN awesome 

Starkrimson monoblocks.

They are tiny at size but sound grand at reasonable price.

https://youtu.be/ziImnuT2bWE

Thomas

AGD Tempo di GaN or Atmasphere GaN amp.

The future is here, and we were warned.

The new Class D GAN1 amps are usually small. I am using a modded PeachTree GAN1 on a great speaker and it sounds amazing. Though I cannot recommend it to you. Check out other GAN amps (just not the GAN1 since it won’t work for you). I have not heard the AGD amps, but people seem to love those GAN amps and they are tiny.

The Benchmark AHB2 is one of the best amps and also tiny. It does not have massive amounts of power but if you speakers are not too demanding it could work great. It is the most neutral and quietest amp around so you can flavor with source and preamp.

I also have the same situation as you with regards to an amp to replace the GAN1 (I need more ease of use). The CODA #8 is 14 inches deep and works for my Ikea ’shelf'. I think I going to get this amp (again).

I was also looking at the smallish NAD M23 (Purifi) which likely sounds like the AHB2. Though I have concerns about reliability from reading posts here.

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